Besen

[ˈbeːzn̩]

/[ˈbeːzn̩]/ noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“Besen” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #17,533 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,533
frequency rank, German
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Arbeitsgerät zur Reinigung, auf welchem Borsten (aus Tierhaar oder Kunststoff) auf einem Träger, Schaft (aus Holz, Kunststoff oder Metall) aufgebracht und das mit einem Stiel versehen ist; in der e...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Besen vs böse
40% similar
Besen vs bien
40% similar
Besen vs Böen
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Besen
PropertyValue
HeadwordBesen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈbeːzn̩]
Letters5
Frequency rank#17,533
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Besen” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Besen lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Besen is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈbeːzn̩]. Corpus data places it at rank #17,533 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Besen, with forms such as "bbesen", "beesn", and "besenn". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "böse", "bien", "Böen", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is Besen, spelled B-E-S-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Arbeitsgerät zur Reinigung, auf welchem Borsten (aus Tierhaar oder Kunststoff) auf einem Träger, Schaft (aus Holz, Kunststoff oder Metall) aufgebracht und das mit einem Stiel versehen ist; in der einfachsten Form Reisigbündel, Rutenbündel oder Strohbündel mit oder ohne Stiel
  2. 2
    abwertend für ein zänkisches, streitsüchtiges Kind oder zänkische, streitsüchtige Frau
  3. 3
    ein Anschlagmittel aus gebündelten Stahldrähten beim Schlagzeug und anderen Perkussionsinstrumenten
  4. 4
    Kurzbezeichnung für eine Besenwirtschaft
  5. 5
    derbe Bezeichnung für das männliche Glied

Synonyms

KehrbesenKratzbürsteJazzbesenStahlbesenStraußwirtschaftPenisPimmelSchwanz

Antonyms

KehrblechEngelchenDrumstickStickTrommelschlägelMilchbarVagina

This word in other languages

broom(English)escoba(Español)balai(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: bbesen,beesn,besenn,besne,bessen,bseen,ebsen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Besen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

bbesen1beesn2besenn1besne2bessen1bseen2ebsen2
Edit distance from "Besen"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Besen"?
"Besen" is spelled B-E-S-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈbeːzn̩].
What does "Besen" mean?
As a noun, "Besen" means: Arbeitsgerät zur Reinigung, auf welchem Borsten (aus Tierhaar oder Kunststoff) auf einem Träger, Schaft (aus Holz, Kunststoff oder Metall) aufgebracht und das mit einem Stiel versehen ist; in der e...
What words are commonly confused with "Besen"?
"Besen" is commonly confused with "böse", "bien", "Böen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Besen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Besen" is [ˈbeːzn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Besen" come from?
"Besen" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Besen”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is B-E-S-E-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈbeːzn̩] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “böse” - see the side-by-side comparison. Besen vs böse
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list